CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
Application Ser. No. 06/173,590 filed July 30, 1980, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,829, for "Noncircular Photoconductor Belt Mounting Apparatus and Method" by D. L. Janeway and P. A. Stevenson, which is assigned to the same assignee as this application, shows a closed-loop, flexible belt supporting frame attached in cantilever relation to the machine base with a pivotable handle for application and release of tension to the belt.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for mounting flexible, closed-loop photoconductor belts in xerographic copiers and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus for mounting closed-loop, flexible belts having photoconductor surfaces thereon so that they retain their proper relationship to the various elements associated with the copying process of the machine. Although not necessarily limited thereto, the present invention is particularly useful for relatively compact, low-cost copier/printer configurations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flexible, closed-loop belts having a photoconductor surface thereon are employed in various xerographic copier/printer applications. The photoconductor for such copiers requires periodic replacement. The flexible belt configuration is relatively inexpensive to the user as contrasted to copiers using drums with a continuous photoconductor coat thereon since such devices generally required replacement of the entire drum assembly in order to replace the photoconductor. Some prior art devices employ replaceable photoconductor sheets on drums, but such configurations are not popular because of difficulties in proper attachment and alignment of the photoconductor for correct xerographic process operations. Closed-loop belts on drums or capstans are desirable in that the belt is manufactured to a predetermined tolerance and the mechanism arranged to properly locate the belt relative to the other machine components.
One arrangement for supporting a closed-loop flexible photoconductor belt in a manner which avoids the large size required for a mounting drum and thus is especially compatible with compact copier configurations is shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/173,590 by D. L. Janeway and P. A. Stevenson, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,829. Janeway et al. show a belt supporting capstan which is cantilever attached to the main machine frame and which includes a pivotable handle for releasing or engaging a shoe against the inner surface of the belt for applying or releasing tension to that belt. While the Janeway et al. structure allows removal and application of photoconductor belts on the capstan, separate mechanisms are required to control belt tension and secure the free end of the capstan relative to the base machine to ensure its proper alignment relative to the other xerographic processing components. Accordingly, such devices require relatively complex procedures for replacement of photoconductor belts while ensuring intregrity of the mounted belt relative to the machine elements associated with processing of copies.
Prior art devices using flexible belt photoconductors are known wherein tension is applied or released to the inner surface of the closed-loop photoconductor belt. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,068 by Jordan wherein a manual handle operates a linkage mechanism for applying and releasing tension to the inner surface of such a closed-loop photoconductor belt. However, Jordan does not suggest any simple arrangement for obtaining both belt tension control and free-end securement of the belt-mounting structure.
Especially in the field of compact xerographic copiers, it is important to maintain belt replacement procedures as simple as possible such that the user with relatively little knowledge or training can perform such a task with ease. None of the prior art obtains such a result, but this is provided by the present invention.